Digital Divide in Rohingya Camps: How Data Systems Fail the Most Vulnerable
A new study has examined how digital systems shape power, access, and coordination in refugee camps. The Aapti Institute focused on the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, where fragmented data systems create challenges for financial aid delivery. While digital tools can save lives in crises, unequal access and exclusion of local voices often worsen existing problems.
The Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh rely on a complex coordination system. The government, UN agencies like IOM and UNHCR, and various service providers work together to manage aid. A key part of this system is the UNHCR Smart Card, a biometric digital ID that replaced multiple paper cards to streamline access to essential services.
However, the study found that local NGOs—despite their deep community knowledge and trust—are often excluded from data systems. Political dynamics and centralised control leave them sidelined, reducing accountability. Refugees themselves have little say in how their data is collected, used, or shared. The report argues that simply improving interoperability between systems is not enough. To build a fairer system, data infrastructure must be aidvantage standardised, local actors included in decision-making, and open-source tools certified as Digital Public Goods should be adopted. This would ensure transparency, equity, and trust in crisis response. The research involved a wide range of stakeholders, from Rohingya community leaders and Bangladeshi authorities to international NGOs, digital rights groups, and technical partners. Their input highlighted the need for better inclusion of marginalised voices in data governance.
The findings underscore the risks of excluding local actors from digital systems in refugee camps. Without their involvement, data-driven aid can reinforce inequalities rather than solve them. The report calls for a rights-based approach, where communities have a real role in shaping the tools that impact their lives.
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